SCHENECTADY, NY -- Sophomore running back
Chris Coney (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) rushed for three touchdowns and Union erased a 14-0 first quarter deficit to defeat St. Lawrence, 35-14 Saturday in a Homecoming Game at Frank Bailey Field. The Dutchmen have now defeated the Saints 13 straight times and evened their season record to 3-3 (2-2 in the Liberty League), while the Saints fell to 0-6 overall, 0-3 in the league.
Coney rushed for 79 yards and scored on runs of five, 13 and 15 yards. Freshman quarterback
Andrew Connolly (Foxboro, MA) was nine for 14 for 218 yards and two touchdowns while freshman wide receiver
Justin Gallo (Brunswick, NY) led all players with 90 receiving yards on two catches, including a 54 yard touchdown. Defensively, three players, senior safety
Kevin Rautenstrauch (West Seneca, NY), junior safety
Eric Baxter (Poughkeepsie, NY) and junior linebacker
John Peters (Clarks Summit, PA) recorded nine tackles each. Freshman defensive back
Cameron Johnson (Berlin, CT) had two interceptions that set up two scores.
St. Lawrence sophomore quarterback JP Kearney (Latlin, PA) had 222 yards with 22 completions in 41 attempts and a touchdown. Junior fullback Eric Jones (Watertown, NY) had 68 yards on 13 rushes and junior tailback Connor Hackett (Bronxville, NY) caught eight passes for 60 yards and a touchdown. Senior linebacker Chuck Bradway (Philmont, NY) made seven stops.
The Dutchmen recorded 393 yards in total offense while the Saints finished with 347 yards. But the Union defense held the Saints to 108 yards in the second half while the Dutchmen had 225 in the second half.
St. Lawrence opened the scoring when Hackett ran in from three yards out with 7:59 left in the first quarter. The run capped a 10 play, 77 yard drive in 5:28, and the drive started when St. Lawrence's Nate Howard (Durham, NH) recovered a Union fumble. The Saints took a 14-0 lead when Hackett caught an eight yard pass from Kearney with 28 seconds left in the quarter. The nine play, 64 yard drive took 4:33. St. Lawrence had outgained the Dutchmen, 146 yards to 18 in the quarter.
The Dutchmen, which started a drive at their own 11 with 18 seconds remaining in the first quarter, got on the board in three plays capped by Gallo's 54 yard touchdown strike from Connolly 43 seconds into the second stanza. Union tied it at 14-14 when Coney's five yard run wrapped up a four play, 28 yard drive in 1:31. His score came with 2:51 left in the first half. Cameron Johnson's interception and return to the Saint 28 with 4:22 set up the tying drive.
Union took the lead for the first time on the day with Coney's 13 yard scamper three minutes into the second half. It came just two plays after
Tim Romano (Westport, CT) forced a Saint fumble at the visitor's 49 yard line that was recovered by
Dan LoBasso (Chappaqua, NY). Gallo had caught a 36 yard pass from wide receiver
Jared Gourrier (New Orleans, LA) to set up Coney's 13 yard rush. Johnson then had his second pick of the day on the ensuing St. Lawrence drive, coming at the visitor's 42 yard line. Three plays and 42 yards later in 1:27, Coney scored his third consecutive touchdown and 12
th touchdown of the year from 15 yards out for a 28-14 Union lead with 6:52 left in the third quarter.
After a four-and-out, Connolly's first play from the Union 29 found an open
Chris Boland (Plainville, CT), and the tight end scored on the 71 yard touchdown reception for the eventual 35-14 final. Neither team scored in the final quarter.
Union is idle next week before playing at Liberty League rival RPI in the annual "Dutchman Shoes Game" on November 1. Prior to that game, RPI is at St. Lawrence next week at 1 p.m.
